Podcast - The 3 Core Themes of Trial Law: Know Your Court
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 52 - Engineered for Injustice: How Coerced Pleas Trap the Innocent
Episode 333 -- The Boeing Proposed Plea Agreement
On 9 July 2025, part 1 of the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, chaired by Sir Brian Leveson was published (the Report). Leveson was tasked by the UK Ministry of Justice with conducting a wide-ranging review of the...more
In this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small explains how knowing the court where a trial lawyer is working can make the difference between winning our losing a case. He...more
Rodney Roberts was given a total of 25 minutes to make a life-altering decision. In custody, isolated from family and advised by a public defender to plead guilty to lesser charges in a crime he did not commit, Rodney...more
Former Congressman George Santos Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft - On August 19, former US Representative George Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of the...more
The Boeing 737 MAX case took another dramatic turn. On July 24, 2024, the Department of Justice filed with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas a proposed plea agreement with Boeing. The plea...more
When it comes to corporate accountability few cases are as significant as the ongoing litigation involving Boeing. Since the 737 MAX safety scandal erupted in 2021, the company has been embroiled in a complex legal journey....more
Gentlemen - I have written blog posts and articles about the proposed Plea Agreement negotiated between Boeing and the Department of Justice (DOJ). As the leaders of both organizations, I wanted to address you both...more
In its proposed Plea Agreement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) lays out the abject failures of Boeing which led the DOJ to conclude the underlying Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) from 2021 has been breached. The DOJ...more
DOJ and Boeing have entered into a proposed plea agreement that will require judicial scrutiny and determinations of the public interest and the victims’ rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3771 [“CVRA”]. ...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed its Plea Agreement in the wake of the Boeing guilty plea. Due to Boeing’s legal challenges, some probation conditions have been imposed to ensure the company adheres to enhanced...more
At last week’s sentencing of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, the government recommended a 36-month prison sentence. Despite the serious nature of Zhao’s crimes – failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program,...more
Defendant and his co-conspirators firebombed an informant’s house and killed several individuals. Six weeks into their trial on related charges, the Government disclosed that one of the defense attorneys previously worked as...more
Phillip Esformes, the alleged mastermind of one of “the largest single criminal health care fraud cases ever brought against individuals by the Department of Justice,”has finally reached a plea deal with the Department of...more
We continue our exploration of the resolution of the FCPA enforcement action involving the Swiss trading firm Gunvor S.A. The enforcement action came in with a $661 million penalty against the company, which has pleaded...more
The 2002 blockbuster film “Catch Me If You Can” chronicles the exploits of notorious check-writing fraudster Frank Abagnale Jr., his narrow escapes from capture, and his eventual apprehension abroad by American law...more
A no contest plea in criminal court means that you accept the conviction but avoid a factual admission of guilt. People often use the terms "guilty plea" and "no contest plea" interchangeably, but they can mean different...more
As the world now knows, Binance Holdings Limited, doing business as Binance.com (“Binance” or the “Company”), has entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”)....more
In February 2022, we blogged on the seizure of a record $3.6 billion in stolen Bitcoin (“BTC”) and an accompanying criminal complaint, charging husband and wife Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein and Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan with...more
Federal Judge Affirms $487 Million Judgment Against Medical Device Distributor for FCA Violations - On May 12, 2023, US District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright of the District of Minnesota affirmed the entry of a $487 million...more
This Article discusses the recent plea agreement between the United States and Danske Bank. It argues that the Department of Justice has advanced a new and evolving theory of liability for foreign banks that access the U.S....more
On March 15, the OCC announced a $17 million civil money penalty and prohibition order against a former senior executive who served as head of a national bank’s community banking division for her role in the bank’s incentive...more
On March 2, 2023 and March 3, 2023, in a pair of speeches by Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco and Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Kenneth Polite, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced...more
In recent weeks, the Department of Justice has released key guidance in the form of a memorandum from Attorney General Garland regarding charging, pleas, and sentencing, in addition to an updated Corporate Enforcement Policy...more
The United States continues its investigation into the now bankrupt FTX and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. Mr. Bankman-Fried was extradited from his luxurious Bahamas penthouse to the Southern District of New York. Now that...more